» Travel - Simon Lau

Niagara Falls (Ontario)

For those who live in the golden horseshoe area, the Niagara region is one you’ve heard of many times. From Toronto, you can drive to Niagara Falls in about 1.5 hours. From the US, it’s more or less considered Buffalo. To those who have no idea what I’m talking about, the Niagara Falls are massive waterfalls from the Niagara River. This river divides Canada from the United States and while there are technically 3 falls, the Canadian side is clearly the best. All three falls were created from glaciers during the last ice age. The Canadian Horseshoe falls drop a total of 157 feet (52m) and is 2600 feet wide (792m). It is an impressive sight to see as six million cubic feet of water flows over the falls every minute. It’s anticipated that 28 million visitors will visit the falls in 2009 and this year there has been 20 million. It’s an amazing sight to see during the day and you should stick around for the evening light show if it’s your first visit.

Here’s a panoramic I made on my last visit.

You can find lots of information about the falls on wikipedia or Niagara Park Fun Fact’s page.

Tags: Niagara Falls, panoramic, photos, Travel

. 12 Oct 08 | Photography, Travel | Comments (2)

Europe Trip Planning – The Budget v2

I spent some time updating my budget based on a few resources I have. The schedule has not changed but the prices have certainly gone up. Using Hotwire, Priceline and expedia.com, I have managed to create a more realistic hotel budget. I’m hoping that by bidding on Priceline, I’ll be able to shave the costs down a bit more. I’ll stay on the high side until that actually happens.

To date, my journey for two will cost. $9089.73 excluding the cost of activities we haven’t planned for. This does creep into my 1K contingency budget, but it’s a manageable amount. More planning to come as soon as the school work load goes lightens. It’ll be nice to have the flights booked by early April and just hotel booking during the month of April in between studying for exams.

I’m still looking for suggestions on things to do, places to stay and ways of cutting down on the overall cost. Ping me if you have any leads!

Tags: Budget, Europe 2008, graduation trip, Travel

. 25 Mar 08 | Travel | Comments (0)

Europe Trip Planning – What to Pack & Other Great Tips

Leo, from Zenhabits, is planning a trip to Thailand and asked his readers what they think is key to simple packing. I’ve included below a modified list of the responses posted the other day. I’ve included and excluded some tips that I think will be helpful to my Europe planning. They may be handy for you too. Ping back any comments you have!

What to Pack
Many of the tips were about packing: how to pack light and what items are essential or useful. What follows are some of the best, but be aware that there may be contradictory tips — choose the ones that will work best for you.

Pack as light as possible. Ask the simple question: “Do I want it or do I need it and if I need it am I will to cart it around?” There is little you really need when you travel.
Travel with a light backpack. If you are moving between places, backpacks leave your hands free to hold their hands.
Pack just a few clothes with only a couple complimentary, solid colors — no patterns. Black is a good idea if you need to be able to dress up and be casual.
If you can, pack only what you can carry on to the flight and don’t check anything in. This will let you enjoy your holiday more.
Put everything you want to bring in a pile and slowly strip away things that aren’t necessary.
Leave the laptop behind, as well as blackberry and any other tech gadget. This is a tough one for me! I’m still deciding whether or not I want to bring my 12″ laptop for constant connectivity. With power cable and protective sleeve, it’ll add 10lbs to my bag.
Bring along a small, foldable umbrella to protect against the UV rays of sunlight and possible rain.
Most toiletries can be found easily in your destination country if you want to spend the money.
If it’s something you think you can buy there more cheaply than at home then don’t bring it.
Get a tote or use bags that fold up into a small package to slip into your backpack. You can use this to collect your souvenirs. Alternatively, mail your purchases home as you go. This reduces what you must carry around with you, and what you have to list for customs.
Bring old clothes and undergarments and dispose of them each day leaving more room for mementos to bring home if you choose. It also cuts down on items that need frequent washing while away.
Don’t travel with anything in your pockets except your passport and wallet. Make sure your pockets are deep so these items don’t accidentally fall out. Make sure your wallet is in your front jeans pocket. Sitting on your wallet for long periods of time will put your back out of alignment and wallets in the back are much easier to pick-pocket.
Photocopies of sections of guidebooks so at the end of a leg of trip the copy goes in the trash. This is a brilliant idea and one I didn’t even think of.
Take a photocopy of all your credit cards, passport and any other valuable document you have. Write down the emergency phone number for each credit card beside its photocopy. Leave this with a neighbour or family member along with your itinerary. Should you have your wallet and bags stolen and be only allowed to make one phone call, call this contact person who would be able to cancel your credit cards etc. for you. Alternatively, instead of photocopying your important documents consider scanning them and e-mailing them to yourself. That way you can always access these documents. Another reader suggested that you should encrypt documents if you email them to yourself.
Pack only high-tech fabrics, the kind that dries quickly so that you can do a wash in the sink. You can get away with 2 pairs of socks for a 2 week trip by rinsing out the dirty pair at night. High tech fabric means it’s dry by the next morning. Cotton will stay soggy for days.
Tilley makes underwear you can wash in the evening, and it will be dry by morning. You only need two pair, or even one if you are sure of finding somewhere to wash it! You can also buy similar items from Mountain Equipment Co-op.
Tip for quick drying: roll a towel over wet fabric, and squeeze tightly.
Bring a small amount of foreign currency to cover incidental expenses upon arrival, then change the rest in your destination country, as exchange rates are usually more favorable. Exchange at major banks like American Express to get the best conversion rate.

On Planning and Doing
Aside from what to pack, there were some great tips submitted about what to do when you get to your destination (along with some tips en route to the destination):

Don’t overplan your trip. Keep your travel itinerary fluid, so that you can soak up the atmosphere in each place. Leave room for the serendipitous and when plans don’t work out, treat it as an opportunity!
Arrive earlier than you think is necessary — for domestic travel, try to arrive at least 2 hours before flight time; on international, make it three. This reduces the stress of waiting in a long security line as the time of your departure inches ever closer, and those desperate rushes to your boarding area. Besides, a relaxing drink at one of the restaurants is a lovely way to start a vacation!
Make time for naps. You will be tired after a day of walking and touring.
Smile a lot and talk to the locals.
Eat, eat, eat and savour the flavors.
Don’t get caught up with sights. Plan some must-dos and leave the rest to chance.
Wander around at night and stay open to the crazier elements of the culture.
Get lots of massages.
Prepare for security check in: Wear slip-on shoes; don’t wear a belt with metal; put the jacket or sweater in your carry-on before you get to security; have your electronics on the top of your carry-on along with the plastic zip-lock bag with your liquids so you don’t have to search through your bag to find them.
Split your cash and financial assets up. Credit card in one pocket. Some cash in another. Some in a hidden backpack pocket. Some in your shoe(s). Some in a money belt. Go to the bathroom and enter a stall before taking out cash from any of these places.
Don’t bring all your cash/credit cards etc. on you when you go out. Leave some in a safe at the hotel, and leave the extra credit cards back home.
Keep a card on you featuring your embassy’s #, some local friends’ numbers.
Get up early. In hot climates, this will help you avoid the heat of the day; in any climate, it will help you avoid the crowds and get more out of your day at a more leisurely pace. Equally, do the things you really want to do first, as often plans go awry as the day goes on.
You shouldn’t try and see everything in a given place. In fact, you’ll probably have a better time if you focus on meeting great people (instead of going to great places): visits to great places will naturally following if you meet the right people during your travels.
Try to stay away from big tourist spots (unless there’s something you REALLY want to see). Meeting locals, doing the things they do, and eating the things they eat always makes for a better stay. If you have any friends there, ask if you can stay with them for a short while; that would give you a true local experience.

Most importantly, have fun!

Tags: doing, Europe, packing, planning, Travel, zenhabits

. 21 Mar 08 | Travel, Zen | Comments (0)

Europe Trip Planning – The Budget

paris I’m currently in the middle of planning a two person 5 week vacation to Europe. The places we intend to visit are: Paris, London, Rome, Venice, Milan, Florence and Pisa.
The Budget is 9K for everything with 1K as contingency for anything we can’t plan for. Items like bus fares to local attractions, taxi rides around the city etc will be lumped into this group.
I’ve put together a quick spreadsheet of some known costs. We don’t plan on staying in any 5* hotels, so the goal is to keep every night under $100CDN. The plan is to find cheap hotels/bed&breakfasts and avoid hostels. In Paris, the plan is to rent an apartment for the stay, this will keep the average nightly cost down and will allow for buying and storing local food in a fridge. I haven’t factored in any budget for food yet as I’m not sure what that will cost in Europe. If you have any experience on daily food costs in any of the areas I’m visiting, please let me know!
If you have any suggestions on how to keep the cost down, or things that we should plan and do, please leave a comment!

Item	Local Currency	In CDN Dollars	Qty	Total	Date Looked Up
Flight: Toronto to Paris	1474.8 CDN	1478.8	1	1478.8	03/16/08
Hotel in Paris		100	1	100
Breakfast/Lunch/Snack				0
Dinner				0
Train: Paris to London	240 USD	240	1	240	03/16/08
Hotel in London		100	3	300
Breakfast/Lunch/Snack				0
Dinner				0
Flight: London to Rome	61.64 GBP	123.56	1	123.56	03/16/08
Eurorail: Italy Rail Pass	294 EUR	452.83	1	452.83	03/16/08
Hotel in Rome		100	4	400
Breakfast/Lunch/Snack				0
Dinner				0
Hotel in Venice		100	4	400
Breakfast/Lunch/Snack				0
Dinner				0
Hotel in Milan		100	4	400
Breakfast/Lunch/Snack				0
Dinner				0
Hotel in Florence		100	5	500
Breakfast/Lunch/Snack				0
Dinner				0
Bus: Florence to Pisa		0	1	0
Flight: Rome to Paris	159.44EUR	245.58	1	245.58	03/16/08
Hotel in Paris	50 Euro	75	11	825	03/16/08

Grand Total				5465.77
Budget				9000
Remaining				3534.23

The next post will hopefully include more information on costs, a schedule and things to do.

Tags: Budget, Europe, Florence, Italy, London, Milan, Paris, Pisa, Rome, Travel, Vacation, Venice

. 17 Mar 08 | Travel | Comment (1)

Three New Contests – Feb 22nd 2008

MOTRIN® IB No Limits Adventures Contest

Entry Page: https://secure.jnjcanada.com/motrin/nolimits/en/contest.asp

Contest Rules: http://www.motrin.ca/nolimits/en/rules.asp

End Date: April 4 2008

Prizes: You could WIN 1 of 3 ‘NO LIMITS’ ADVENTURES consisting of a TRIP for 2 to SKI IN THE SWISS ALPS, GOLF AT ST. ANDREWS OR HIKE IN THE HIMALAYAS.

The Taste That Is As Good As Gold Contest

Entry Page: https://global.mapleleaf.com/contests/TasteAsGoodAsGold/en/entry.aspx

Contest Rules: https://global.mapleleaf.com/contests/TasteAsGoodAsGold/en/index.html

End Date: April 25, 2008

Prizes – There will be Five (5) Grand Prizes available to be won, each consisting of one Gold Bar (one troy ounce of 99.99% pure (24k) gold) with an approximate retail value of seven hundred and fifty dollars ($750 CDN). The market value of the Gold Bar is subject to market fluctuations. The winner may chose a cash option and will then receive the cash equivalent to the current market value of one Gold Bar (one troy ounce of 99.99% pure (24k) gold). Prizes will be awarded regionally as follows: Western region – one prize, Ontario – two prizes, Atlantic region – one prize and Quebec – one prize. Prizes will be delivered to confirmed winners. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received by the Contest Closing Date.

Camping World Win A New RV

Entry Page: http://www.campingworld.com/resources/newsletter/index.cfm

Contest Rules: http://www.campingworld.com/resources/newsletter/rules.cfm

End Date: March 17, 2008

Prize: There is One (1) Grand Prize –A 2008 FreedomSpirit by Thor travel trailer, Model FS180. Sponsor to have sole choice of unit options. Winner must take delivery at location specified by Sponsor. Approx. Retail Value (ARV) $11,800.00. Grand Prize Winner is responsible for all of his/her own applicable federal, state and local taxes, as well as any sales tax, fees and expenses, incurred in claiming and using the prize. No cash alternative to the prize is offered, but a prize of equal or greater value may be substituted by the Sponsor if advertised prizes become unavailable for any reason. Grand Prize is not transferable.

Good luck everyone!

Tags: adventure, camping, Contests, gold, Travel

. 22 Feb 08 | Contests | Comments (0)

View from the Hotel

Here’s two panoramic views from the hotel. The first view from the 11th floor is pretty boring, but the one from the 17th (pieces together from images below is pretty nice). Clicking on the picture will open up a full size image. Not 56K friendly.

Tags: hong kong, hotel, Travel

. 24 Dec 07 | Travel | Comments (0)

Next Stop: Hong Kong

I arrived in Hong Kong shortly after 8PM local and got through customs about 9. I now have my first stamp in my passport, rather boring looking stamp.

I’m currently staying in Caritas Bianchi Lodged – 4, Cliff Road, Yaumati Kownloon, Hong Kong. It’s a residence style place with single beds, a couch, TV and washroom. I’m on the 11th floor looking into the city. My parents on the 17th floor and have a view of the a hill.

I’m disappointed that there’s no wireless service in my room, lucky for me my parents have a hardline which allows me to stay online.